One method for preheating glass batch involves feeding cold particulate glass batch raw materials into one end of a rotating heat-transfer drum, and feeding heated media of larger particle size than the batch particles into the other end of the heat transfer drum. The glass batch moves in countercurrent physical contact with the heated media, with the batch flowing from the cold end to the hot end of the drum and the media flowing from the hot end to the cold end of the drum. The heated particulate batch is removed from the hot end of the drum, and the cooled media is removed from the cold end of the drum. Preferably, the heated media is a high specific heat, durable material and can be comprised of glass batch agglomerates, glass, ceramic material, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, gravel and the like. The media can be of any suitable shape, spherical shapes being preferred. For purposes of simplification such media, heated or unheated, will be referred to herein as heat absorbent media or absorbent media.